Gar-coupling



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

P. D. ROOT. GAR COUPLING.

,037. Patented Jan. '20, 1885.

WITNESSES wg g ATTORNEYS.

N. PETERS. Plwmuma m hur. wmm xm D c.

2'Sh'eets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

P, D. ROOT.

5 8 8 1 0 2 n a Y J d e lu n e L ATTORNEYS.

n. PETERS. PhoIn-ulhognpher. Washinglnn. 0.0.

UNiTEn STATES PATENT @EEtcE,

FRANK D. ROOT, OF CORTLAND, ILLINOIS.

-CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 311,037, dated January 20, 1885.

Applicalion tiled October 9, 1-54. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK D. Roo'r, of Cort land, in the county of DeKalb and State of Illinois, have invented a new and Improved Car Platform, Coupler, and Buffer, of which the following is a full,clear,an(l exact description. V

The invention consists in the combination, with a car having two hangers secured to the under side,of a draw-head held in the hangers, the said draw-head being provided at its rear end with a neck passed through the rear hanger, a large nut being screwed on the end of the said neck.

The invention further consists in the combination, with the said draw-head, of a spring held in a transverse cavity in the free end of the draw-head, the spring acting on a tongue formed on the inner end of a coupling-hook pivoted in the outer end of the d raw-head. The said coupling-hook is connected by a chain with a plate having a quadrant edge, the said plate being secured on the lower end of a vertical shaft on the platform.

The invention also consists in parts and details and combinations of the same, as will be fully described and set forth hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forminga part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure l is an end view of my improved car coupler and buffer. Fig. 2 is a plan view of thesame, parts being broken out. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the same.

Four beams, A, are bolted to the under side of the car, so as to project from the end of the same and form a support for the platform, the said beams being united by a cross-beam, B, and an end cross-beam, C, having its outer edge rounded to permit of turning curves, &c.

On theframe formed of the beams above mentioned the platform D is secured, and to the ends of the same the steps E are fastened. A buffer-head, F, is secured on the front end of a bar, F, held in a horizontal transverse a'perture in the middle of the front cross-beam, C, the said bar 1? being adapted to slide to ward the front and rear. The inner end of the bar F is surrounded by a spiral bufferspring, F which is held between theinner edge of the end cross-beam, C, and a cross-bar, G, uniting the two middle beams, A. A metal plate, G, is secured in the floor of the platform above the spring F", and an apertured 5 plate, G3, is secured on the middle part of the rounded outer edge of the beam 0, the bar F passing through the aperture in the plate G The draw-head H is provided at its inner end with a neck, 11, passing through an aperture in a hanger, H secured to the under side of the platform and projecting downward from the same. A heavy nut, I, is screwed on the free end of the neck H behind the hanger H", to hold the draw-head in place. The drawhead is supported near its front by a hanger, J, secured to and projecting from the under side of the platform. In the front part of the draw-head a cavity, K, is formed, which is open at one side of the draw-head, and contains a heavy and powerful spiral spring, L, arranged transversely, the inner end of the spring resting against the closed side of the cavity, and the outer end resting against the inner surface of a tongue, M, formed on the inner end of a coupling-hook, N, pivoted in the draw-head toswing laterally. Thetongue M of the coupling-hook closes the open end of the cavity. A metal spring-plate, m, is secured to the inner surface of the tongue M, against which spring-plate the end of the spring L rests. By the pressure of the spring L on the tongue M the free end of the hook N is pressed in the direction toward that side of the draw-head opposite the side at which the said hook projects. In the free end of the hook N a horizontal slot, N, is formed for receiving a coupling-link of the usual construction, to permit coupling cars having the ordinary draw-heads with cars having my improved coupler; The coupling-pin O is secured to one end of a chain, 0, having its opposite end secured to a plate or clip, 0", projccting from the front edge of the beam 0. Two safety-chains, P, provided with hooks P, have their free ends secured to the apertured plates P secured to and projecting from the beam 0. lVhen the cars are coupled, the hooks P of the chains P on one car are passed through the apertures in the plates I on the opposite car, the said chains acting as a safeguard to prevent detaching of the cars in case the coupling breaks or fails to operate. A vertical shaft, Q, is journaled on the end of the platform, and on its lower end is secured ahorizontal plate, R, having a quadrant edge which is grooved. To one end of the quadrant edge one end of the chain S is secured, the other end of the chain being secured to the hook N near the free end. Directly above the upper edge of the beam 0 a disk or wheel, V, is mounted on the shaft Q, the said disk having two notches, s, W, pivoted on the top of the platform, is adapted to pass for the purpose of lockingthe disk V, the shaft Q, and the plate It in the desired position. The usual brake-shaft, U, is provided on the platform.

The operation is as follows: hen two cars come together, the outer beveled edges of the prongs of thehooksN come in contact, whereby the prongs are pressed from each other until their inner edges have passed,when the springs L throw the tongues M outward, thereby swinging the prongs toward each other and causing them to engage, the cars remaining coupled by the action of the powerful springs L on the tongues M and hooks N. If the cars are to be uncoupled, the hooks N must be moved from each other sufficiently to disengage them, and this is accomplished by turning one or both shafts Q, in such a manner as to swing the outer ends of the plates R outward, whereby the chains S are pulled in a like direction, the said chains resting against the grooved quadrant edges of the plates B. After the hooks N have been withdrawn the plates R are locked in place by means of the pawls V and the notched disk or wheel V.

into which the end of a pawl,

When the draw-heads are locked in this position, they cannot couple. The buffers F counteract the shock produced when the cars meet.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. The combination, with a draw-head having a transverse cavity in its outer end, of a hook pivoted on the end of the draw-head,and provided at its inner end with a tongue projecting over the open end of the said cavity, and a spring contained in the said cavity and acting on the tongue on the inner end of the said pivoted hook, the shaft Q, and the plate R,having a grooved edge, and the chain S, substantially as herein shown and described.

2. The combination, with a draw-head having a swinging book, of the vertical shaft Q, the plate R,seeured on the same and havinga grooved edge, and of the chain S, secured to the plate It and to the swinging hook of the draw-head, substantially as herein shown and described.

3. In a car-coupler, the combination, with the draw-head H, of the swinging hook N,pivoted on the same, the spring L, acting on a tongue formed on the inner end of the hook N, the said spring being contained in a cavity in the outer end of the draw-head, the shaft Q, the plate R, havinga quadrant edge on the same, and the chain S, secured to the plate R and to the coupling-hook, substantially as herein shown and described.

FRANK D. ROOT.

' \Vitnesses:

HENRY lVIARTIN, J AMES MURPHY. 

